Hey!

Welcome to She Came in Through the Bathroom Window!

Here is a space where you can read about my life as an older student, an expat living in the Netherlands, a couple who is living between two countries with their two cats and a traveller who is always planning about the next destination.

We were out and about once again on a crisp, clear, bright San Francisco morning. At this point of our time in this city, we were fully aware of where to get a good cup of coffee and the best bagels as soon as we leave our hotel, also known as the only two things to give me the will to get up and get going. So far, the biggest challenge of our road trip was to find a decent breakfast because one can only drink certain amount of bad coffee without questioning if this is the time to cut the trip short and fly back to Europe for a good ol’ cup of Joe.

That morning, our bellies full, all was well and it was only about to get better from there.

Recently, I have decided to pen a series of articles dedicated to -in my humble opinion- the most fascinating details of San Francisco: the doorways. All of them unique and witnessed different parts of our short stay. So, don’t forget to get something tasty do drink, sit back, relax and enjoy the third part of our adventure.

♠

Door Number 641

Today’s quest was a big one. The plan was to walk to the Golden Gate Bridge, and then walk some more to see the end of the marathon around Golden Gate Park. This was mostly because we are one of those people who performs better on the sidelines than the actual marathon. Plus, the rumour has it that the after-run parties are a big thing here and why miss a good party just because we don’t actually run, right?

So we were enjoying our long walk with the wind behind us and excited to see the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Which brings us to Door Number 641. Right along the coast on a busy street, this door equals to that little coffee truck we saw shortly after I took this photo, parked on the coast. Don’t be fooled by the size or the mobility, this place had everything from matcha latte to Turkish coffee and a high possibility to make me its steady customer for the rest of my life. If only I could live here. Who knows, maybe dreams do come true.

♣

Door Number 1315

The walk to the Golden Gate bridge is a pleasant one if you choose the coastal road. It’s often busy with people either taking a walk, out for a run or preparing for a day of picnic with friends and family.

As we continued our pleasant morning walk, the clouds were gathering slowly and what started as a bright and sunny day was now misty and somehow littered with thick clouds. We, being responsible travelers, were prepared for any surprise changes in the weather and quickly whipped out our thin cardigans. Problem solved, or so we thought. The closer we were getting, the more sure we were of the fact that there was no sign of a bridge where it should be. We were experiencing the famous San Francisco fog, on the one day that we chose to visit the Golden Gate Bridge. Oh, so swell!

After waiting some for what would be a miracle, we have decided to give up on our hopes and make it to the end of the marathon and that’s when I came across the Door Number 1315. Couldn’t get to see the Golden Gate Bridge but at least I got to see this lovely doorway with a beautiful teal tiles. Trying very hard to see the positive side of things, I take a photo.

♥

Nameless Door of the Conservatory of Flowers

I have never been to a marathon before. Never even seen one up close let alone running in it. So as we were getting closer to the Golden Gate Park, I’ve had no idea about what to expect. That’s why I was fascinated to see a huge crowd of people, all in costumes, participating and, wait, having fun?

In my mind marathons are more associated with heavy sessions of trainings, grueling physical challenges and a high level of accomplishment mixed with severe exhaustion afterwards (I mean, bleeding nipples anyone?). Unlike my expectations; this particular group was either walking, maybe jogging, some were drinking, many were talking, laughing, snacking, smoking, basically just enjoying themselves and having fun while wearing costumes. Maybe wearing a costume is not your thing? No problem, you can come naked too! San Francisco being San Francisco, you won’t be judged or booed, just like everyone else, you are welcome! What a place to be!

We managed to keep our clothes on, but certainly had fun watching a sea of people and their unique looks.

Walking aimlessly and admiring the beauty of the park when we were not busy with the marathon fun, we came up to the Conservatory of Flowers. Beautiful place with a beautiful exterior. I’ve snapped a photo to mark our day of ups and downs.

♦

After spending all day in the city, we’ve decided to keep the evening fairly simple. Some drinks and a nice dinner somewhere closeby. If only we didn’t fall asleep roughly around 7 p.m and woke up the next morning; to a new day full of new plans.

-Ceren

♠

Out trip didn’t end there and neither did the artistic doorways of San Francisco. If you liked what you’ve read so far, why not tune in for Doors of San Francisco, Part Four?

Missed the beginning? then don’t forget to read Part One and two!

You can find more photos of San Francisco on my Instagram account! Find me @crn.spymn

Architecture photography has a very special place in my heart. The streets, the buildings, trees, facades, windows… they are all little puzzle pieces that give the city its ‘vibe’. I like historical cities where the buildings go as early as couple of hundred years back and you can still read ‘Tailor’ or ‘Butcher’ shop signs made by marbles on a little café. That’s why I will never get bored of traveling through Europe. So much historical beauty in such a small space.

Spending three weeks in the United States, has changed my view on this topic and I’ve added some new cities to my long list of ‘Places I Would Go Over And Over Again’. San Francisco on that list, without a doubt, takes the first place.

Recently, I have decided to write a small piece in order to honour the most beautiful details of this city: the doorways. So just sit back and take a sip of your coffee while you enjoy reading our days in the city of San Francisco with the little help from the colourful doors.

♠

Door Number 775

It was roughly 8 a.m but we were already showered, dressed up, gotten our caffeine fix and ready right outside of our hotel. A busy day walking to the Fisherman’s Wharf, a strolling through the Pier 39 and visiting the iconic Painted Ladies. Busy day indeed but nothing short of entertaining.

Whenever we are exploring a new city, we always end up walking for the majority of the day. Not that we have anything against public transportation -they do suck sometimes- but walking makes us feel more included in the daily life and we always end up catching the little details this city has to offer.

That’s when we came across Warrington 775, a gorgeous doorway right at the hearth of the city, surrounded by big towering hotels. To describe the contrast, despite the clean esthetics of this photo; we were tired -again, walking for hours everyday is never easy-, defeated by the sun, hungry and my pretty shoes were betraying my feet by causing blistering. On top of that, we were wondering if the tram we are about to take is the correct one or not. Not the condition I would wish anyone to see us in but all those can’t stop me from snapping a pretty doorway when I see one.

♣

Door Numbers 534, 532, 530

San Francisco can impress you at every corner. Looking away or checking your map for a moment and you might overlook some of the finest details that make this city so unique.

The coffee is tasty, people are relaxed, streets are busy and the hills are steep.

On our way to the Painted Ladies we’ve stopped for a moment to check where we were and apparently we took a wrong turn somewhere. Which brings us to door numbers 534, 532 and 530. Small details we wouldn’t be able to come across if we didn’t get lost first.

These doors belonged to a building that looks like a worn out version of all the other gorgeous buildings surrounding it. Looking very calm, almost unoccupied. What made them special was the sign right next to door 534; saying ‘We don’t care about who you are or which country you come from, if you are in need of a shelter, ring the bell. We don’t believe in walls.’

Small sign with a big meaning. These doors may not be the prettiest of all, but they are the most important. Without even thinking about it, I took this photo.

♥

Door Number 210

Door number 210 was not the easiest one to spot. This little house we’ve spotted on our way to Pier 39 was nicely tucked away on a crowded street, hiding in a coat of greenery.

It was surrounded by a small garden which looked like it belongs to another place rather than San Francisco. The trees grew taller and the calming sound of the small fountain was there only if you stopped and listened to it.

If you are one of those who enjoys spending time at home more than being outside, this house would be your oasis. Just grab your book, your warm cup of coffee and hang out in that garden until someone has to come and check if you were alright. That’s my kind of a weekend, indeed!

Leaving my dreams behind, I chose to listen to my rumbling stomach. After I’ve snapped a quick photo, we’ve continued our way to grab a bite. What matters more at that point was whether I felt more like tacos or a burrito.

-Ceren

♦

Our trip didn’t end there and neither did the artistic doorways of San Francisco. If you liked what you’ve read so far, why not tune in for Doors of San Francisco, Part Three?

Missed the beginning? then don’t forget to read Part One!

You can find more photos of San Francisco on my Instagram account! Find me @crn.spymn

When we have decided to do our road trip through California, I had only one city in my mind: San Francisco. Was it because of the fact that I grew up watching Full House and had a crush on Uncle Jesse all those years? That might very well be the case, but let’s not get into that right now. Unlike me, regardless of your reasons; it is very easy to agree on the beauty of this city’s architecture, misty weather, music and history. It is, indeed, fascinating but after spending a few days, there was one little detail in this city that became my sudden favourite: the doorways.
Every one of them has a different story to tell me about what we were talking about as we were passing by, what we did right before they caught my eye and what we were up to right after we parted ways.

So, in order to honour the most beautiful details of San Francisco, I’ll write a little bit about the doors of this city. Just sit back, get your cup of tea and follow our footprints.

♠

Door Number 2363

On our first morning we woke up quite early thanks to our lingering jetlag; but when you only have a couple of days to explore this city, waking up early was all we needed.

After a stale bagel and a particularly bad coffee at our hotel, we threw ourselves out to the streets. Sunshine, calm breeze, caffeine buzz, -a bad taste of coffee in my mouth- everything you need to start your day right. This lasted only until the streets slapped us with the harsh reality of San Francisco: climbing, climbing and more climbing. Our calves will thank us tomorrow by refusing to move I guess. Plus, the astonishing architecture of San Francisco is a real treat if your passion in photography mainly consists of buildings, small cafés and facades like me.

So that brings us to door number 2363, on a busy street, right next to a mini market where we bought chips and salsa. A gorgeous doorway often occupied with people walking their dogs or rushing to work at this busy morning hour. I stop and snap a quick photo.

♣

Door Number 2434

After some walking through the city, we made our way to the infamous Lombard Street. A narrow street which curls up like a spaghetti all the way and covered with flowers and bright greenery. Very scenic indeed. The view from the top also includes a fine line of the San Francisco skyline and when you go down, you can see all the way up the Lombard Street, the passing colourful trams and some more.

Although my high hopes, we were not the only ones who thought early morning hours would be better when it comes to sightseeing. We were trying to squeeze ourselves between two busses full of tourists like ourselves. The result? No decent photos taken, but I’ll survive!

As hours were approaching to the end of our morning, we have decided to grab a decent bite somewhere downtown so it was time for another round of exploring. Holidays are for walking at least 5 hours a day, am I right?

This brings us to the doorway number 2434, right by the Lombard Street, always be remembered as the prettiest doorway in San Francisco, spotted on our way to the most delicious bite at a café called 8 a.m. That chia pudding and the avocado toast still whispers my name when I crave something tasty!

♥

Our little stroll through the town and the downtown breakfast turned into one of the nicest mornings we have had in this city. We continued our wandering, went to drink the first Irish Coffee in America and had ended the day with one too many shrimp cocktails downed with one too many Tom Collins cocktails. La Bella Vita!

-Ceren

♦

Our trip didn’t end there and neither did the artistic doorways of San Francisco. If you liked what you’ve read so far, why not tune in for Doors of San Francisco, Part Two?

You can find more photos of San Francisco on my Instagram account! Find me @crn.spymn